The Department of Agriculture (DA) has filed complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman over allegedly non-existent farm-to-market road projects in Davao Occidental worth about P94 million, intensifying the government’s crackdown on corruption involving rural infrastructure funds.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the filing of cases against several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways and private contractors accused of falsifying project documents to secure government payments for roads that were allegedly never built.
Among those named in the complaints were DPWH Davao Occidental District Engineer Rodrigo C. Larete, Project Engineer Joel M. Lumogdang, OIC-Assistant District Engineer Michael P. Awa, Quality Assurance Officer Jafel C. Faunillan, Acting Finance Chief Czar Ryan S. Ubungen, and Project Engineer Harold John C. Villaver.
Private contractors linked to the projects were also included in the complaints.
One of the cases involved a supposed farm-to-market road project in Barangay Caburan, Jose Abad Santos, valued at P11.94 million. The DA alleged that the respondents certified the project as completed and facilitated full payment despite the road not being implemented.
Investigators said Statements of Work Accomplished, Certificates of Payment and Disbursement Vouchers were allegedly falsified to make the project appear finished.
Another complaint centered on a separate P11.92-million road project in the same barangay, where field inspections conducted by the DA’s Internal Audit Service reportedly showed no actual implementation despite claims of project completion.
Additional cases covered projects in the villages of Culaman, Datu Danwata, Demoloc, Tical and Manuel Peralta, with individual contract amounts ranging from P10.02 million to P14.92 million.
According to the DA, the respondents allegedly conspired to submit falsified accomplishment reports, payment certifications and project status documents to facilitate the release of public funds.
The complaints cited possible violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents, grave misconduct and serious dishonesty.
“The DA remains committed to ensuring accountability and transparency in the use of public funds, particularly in programs intended to benefit our farmers and rural communities,” Laurel said.
The agriculture chief added that investigations would continue even after the filing of complaints to determine whether there was collusion involving DA regional personnel and the contractors and DPWH officials implicated in the projects.
“We will not stop until everyone involved in this corruption is held accountable for their crimes,” Laurel said.
The alleged offenses may carry penalties that include imprisonment, fines and perpetual disqualification from holding public office.
